symposium on priorities for environmental health 1...

Symposium on Priorities for Environmental Health

1 December 2006

Howard EllisMinistry for the Environment

MfE Initiatives in Environmental Health

National Environmental Standards (Air Quality)National Environmental Standards (Water Quality)Contaminated landStockholm Convention

National Environmental Standards Relating to Certain Air Pollutants, Dioxins and Other Toxics

RMA Regulations 2004 (incl amendments 2005)

14 standards : 7 standards ban activities that discharge significant quantities of

dioxins and other toxics into the air 5 standards on ambient (outdoor) air qualitya design standard for new wood burners in urban areas landfills over 1 million tonnes of refuse must collect greenhouse

gas emissions.

Protecting Environmental HealthNational Environmental Standards (Air Quality)

PM10 from fires and home heating, vehicle emissions, industry

Breathing air-borne soot causes more early deaths than road accidents

Ambient air quality NES limits set forPM10 particles: not to exceed 50

µg/m3 avge over 24 hrs, by 2013CO, SO2, NO2, ozone,

School incinerators banned unless a resource consent obtained

Air pollution causes: • respiratory diseases, • asthma attacks, • reduced immunity • premature deaths.

Over the next 15 years better air quality will save 625 lives and prevent over 570hospitalisations


a new standard for clean & efficient woodburners

Aus/NZ standards for Thermally efficiency designLow smoke emission limit

(max particle of 1.5 g/kg of wood burnt)


Improving air quality means less ill-health

Reduce air pollutants: Dioxins, PAHs

Activities are banned:No burning of waste at landfillsNo burning of tyresNo burning of coated wireNo burning of bitumen for road maintenanceNo burning of oil No new high-temperature hazardous waste

incinerators.

Protecting Environmental Health National Environmental Standards (Water Quality)

The NES ensures that activities in drinking water catchments do not pollute water, so water remains safe for people to drink after existing treatment

NES applies to new consents;

transition period for revising rules in plans;

if accident occurs then water supplier must be notified

Protecting Environmental Health

Sustainable Water Programme of Action

Outcomes sought for freshwater: Improve quality and efficiency of usereduce impact of land-use on water

quality

NPS on water uses and valuesNES to set environmental flows

NES on measuring water flows

The Dairying and Clean Streams Accord

Poor water quality in NZ is mainly from fertiliser and dung/nutrient run-off

Fonterra, regional councils, MfE & MAF are working to achieve sustainable dairy farming and to reduce impacts on streams, rivers, lakes, ground water and wetlands.

The Dairying and Clean Streams Accord

Keep dairy cattle out of streams, rivers and lakes and their banks

use fences, bridges or culverts cross a watercourse.

treat dairy effluent before discharge

manage nutrients to minimise losses to ground and surface waters.

Protecting Environmental Health Issues in Contaminated Land

Environment protected (including human health)

Fit-for-purpose land (maximise human and natural values)

Good-quality land maintained Contaminated land managed/remediated to

greatest extent practicable


Signs of progress:• 10 contaminated land technical guidelines developed• Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund now allocates $2.5M/yr• RMA amended:

- contaminated land functions assigned to councils; - definition added of contaminated land

BUT 3 main problems nationally: • contaminated land management practice is variable region to region • different numerical soil values being used• identifying & recording contaminated land information is variable


Towards a comprehensive framework for managing contaminated land in NZ:

policy discussion paper out for consultationNES soil values to be looked at (land use clean-up criteria)

Guideline on classification and information management protocols:

best practice for classifying contaminated land

how to manage a register and data for recording, tracking and reporting on contaminated site management

Protecting Environmental Health

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic PollutantsNZ’s National Implementation Plan

POPs are:

ToxicDisperse everywhereBioaccumulateExcreted only slowlyPass from mother to infant in utero and via breast milkNo medical treatment

Small amounts of these toxic chemicals build up in our bodies over a lifetime

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Protecting Environmental Health Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Currently listed POPs: dubbed the “dirty dozen”Aldrin Chlordane Dieldrin DDTEndrin Heptachlor Hexachlorobezene MirexToxaphene PCBs Dioxins Furans

Being assessed - potentially “new POPs” (10)Polybrominated diphenyl ethers chlordeconeLindane and isomers short chained chlorinated paraffinsPerfluorooctane sulphate pentachlorobenzene

Protecting Environmental Health Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Obligation to protect human health and the environment by reducing, and, where feasible, eliminating the production and environmental releases

NZ’s national implementation plan:Inventory of dioxin releases + Action Plan to reduce/eliminateEliminate remaining use of PCBs by 2016228 tonnes POP-pesticides collected > overseas disposal (175 tonnes to go)Management of POPs-contaminated landBio-monitoring programme (breast milk, serum) to track the NZ population’s declining exposure to POPs.


Guideline published recently:Identifying, investigating and managing risks associated with former sheep-dip sites: A guide for local authorities

Contamination due to historical use of arsenic, dieldrin, DDT, aldrin, lindane

20


• DDT, Dieldrin and Lindaneamong the 84 pesticide formulations produced on site from 1930’s to 1988

• Highly contaminated land and marine sediments

• Mapua site approx 3.4 hectares - treating ~20,000m3 soil

Cleaning-up NZ’s most

contaminated Site

21

POPs - contaminated soil is treated by a NZ-developed ball milling technology - a world first


symposium on priorities for environmental health 1...

Documents